Recognizing Quality

Colecraft Featured In Trade Magazine For Prendergast Library Products

October 16, 2011

FALCONER - Colecraft Commercial Furnishings, a local manufacturer of commercial furniture, was featured with an article in the July CabinetMaker + FDM Magazine.

The article included a cover shot of the James Prendergast Library, a project that Colecraft completed in Jamestown.

''This journal is the leading and most respected trade magazine in our industry. We are honored to have been selected by the editorial staff for this recognition,'' said Dave Messinger, Colecraft chief executive officer. ''Chautauqua County has historically been a leading area for furniture manufacturing in North America and we are pleased that, in a small way, we are continuing that tradition.''

Article Photos

CabinetMaker +FDM Magazine featuring Colecraft Commercial Furnishings of Falconer on the work they did at the James Prendergast Library.Submitted photo

CabinetMaker + FDM spans the entire market of the woodworking field from smaller shops to production plants, with an emphasis on companies using best practices. Reaching a circulation of more than 40,000 industry professionals the magazine and website focus on four key areas: management, production, materials and design. Within each key area, users find information related to the woodworking industry's four core markets: cabinets, furniture, fixtures and millwork.

The article discusses the challenges that faced the new owners of Colecraft and how, as a small business, they developed a strategy to successfully compete with their much larger competitors.

William Sampson, CabinetMaker + FDM magazine editor, describes Colecraft this way, ''Most of the furniture manufacturing that was once a key industry in Western New York in the early 20th century has gone away, but new owners of one manufacturer are bucking that trend. They are showing that a custom approach with an emphasis on effective product design and customer service can allow even a smaller manufacturer to compete in today's challenging economy.''

''The secret to the new Colecraft's success is an approach that builds more business from each customer by emphasizing an intense focus on meeting customer needs,'' Sampson said. ''A good example of how this works would be a public library project. Whereas the old Colecraft might have sold a few tables for the project, the new Colecraft offers reception desks, custom shelves, computer stations, custom media storage, countertops and even matched architectural panels. That team approach with customers is a reflection of the collegial business approach inside the whole company. Messinger leads a team that clearly thrives on sharing ideas and working with each other to find solutions.''

Colecraft was also featured in the summer 2011 magazine edition of Design Solutions.

Local end users of Colecraft include many area business, educational and institutional organizations. Colecraft is sold through several area commercial office furniture dealers including the Wm. P Curtiss Company of Greenhurst.

For more information on Colecraft Commercial Furnishings and a link to the both magazines is available at www.colecraftcf.com.